Kamote Que is deep fried sweet potatoes with a coating of caramelized brown sugar. This is a common meryenda (mid-afternoon snack) in the Philippines and can mostly be seen peddled around the busy streets.
I would say that Kamote Que is one of the top selling meryenda because of its affordability and filling effect (it can make you feel full for several hours). This can also recharge your energy temporarily (carb and sugar combined makes you hyper active).
Try this sweet meryenda : Kamote Que.
Oven Barbequed Spare Ribs is simply barbequed spare ribs that is cooked by baking and broiling. Though grilling and/or placing inside the pit is the traditional and most common way of cooking this dish, baking it in the oven would be the next alternative (unless you really want that smokey flavor and smell).
This is recipe is the simplest and least effort consuming that I know of. It could take a while to bake that rib but I’m sure that you won’t mind doing it over and over after you tasted one.
Having some grilled corn on the cob or mashed potatoes would be great as side dishes. Then again, a cup of steamed rice or two is still the perfect choice.
Try this mouth watering Oven Barbequed Spare Ribs recipe.
Lasagna is considered as a pasta in sheets and a dish as well. This is often made with alternate layers of pasta, cheeses, and ragu. This rich Italian food has captivated the hearts and taste buds of Filipinos and has became famous althroughout the archipelago.
Aside from authentic Filipino dishes, there are also certain foreign foods that really digs into our taste buds. This is one them ; A sumptuous dish that fits the Filipino Palate.
Try this rich and delicious Lasagna Recipe.
Cassava Cake is a classic Filipino dessert made from grated cassava or manioc, a woody shrub where the starch that is used to make tapioca are derived.
Being a popular dessert, different recipe versions are available for Cassava Cake. This recipe is my personal favorite. Our good friend, Sharon, was kind enough to share this with us. I also got her permission to share it with you guys. I hope that you’ll like it.
Try this delicious Filipino dessert: Cassava Cake.
We often hear about how convenient it is to start with a blank canvas– to work with the simplest elements in order to create something entirely new and vibrant. I could say that this does not only apply to art, as this works also in the field of cooking. Some of the most exciting food…
Ginisang Upo is White Squash sautéed in garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Ground pork is also added for additional flavor. This is a very simple Filipino vegetable dish and a common vegetable meal in every household.
Chayote (sayote) can also be used as a substitute. This meal is so easy to prepare and would take you less than 20 minutes to complete.
Try this vegetable dish: Ginisang Upo.
Liver Steak is marinated fried liver in soy sauce, lemon, and onion sauce. The method of cooking this dish is similar to that of Bistek tagalog.
Some of us do not want to eat liver because of its gamy taste (that includes me when I was younger). I guess that the gamy taste that I experienced during my first try haunts me every time I see a liver dish. It was just only a few years ago that I learned to enjoy eating this because I learned some method that could reduce the unpleasant taste (just reduce, not eliminate). I also forced myself to eat liver for health reasons.
This recipe could reduce the gamy taste that would help you enjoy the dish better.
Try this delicious Liver Steak recipe.
Pancit Canton is a noodle dish that is of Chinese origin. This is prepared pretty much like the Pancit Guisado (Pansit Bihon) though an obvious distinction would be the noodles used (rice sticks vs. flour sticks). This dish closely resembles the Chow Mein but preparation and some ingredients vary.
As mentioned in the video, there are several ways to cook Pancit (or Pansit). This recipe shows another approach in preparing the second staple dish of the Philippines. By the way, please don’t forget your calamansi (or lemon). Pancit tastes better when calamansi is squeezed over it before eating.
Happy Cooking!
Try this favorite Filipino dish: Pancit Canton.
Fried chicken is chicken coated with a breading mixture or batter and pan fried (or deep fried if that is the case). Usually, the meaty part of the chicken is used for this dish but who could resist fried chicken wings. The purpose of the breading (or batter) is to make the outer-part of the chicken crispy (crispy-licious ummm!).
There are several ways to fry a chicken and this fried chicken recipe is just one of the hundreds out there. I personally liked this recipe because of its richness in flavor. The chicken is crispy and tasty on the outside but juicy in the inside.
Try this delicious Fried Chicken recipe.
Sisig is a popular appetizer (pulutan) turned main dish that originated from the culinary capital of the Philippines : Pampanga. This dish was invented by Lucia Cunanan or popularly know as Aling Lucing (she is also known as the sisig queen). Originally, sisig is composed of chopped pigs face (snout included) and ears with a generous amounts of chicken liver. Hundreds of sisig variations are available today ranging from the original pigs face (maskara) ingredient to a more healthy seafood concoction such as squid, tuna, milk fish (bangus), and mussels.
There are several restaurants and even eateries (carinderia) that serve this wonderful dish. I know that we all have our own favorite sisig places (like Dencio’s or Jerry’s Grill perhaps) but it is still good to know how to make one.
Try this delicious Filipino appetizer recipe : Sisig.
Crema de Fruta is a Filipino dessert elaborately made-up of sponge cake, topped in succeeding layers of sweet syrup, custard, candied fruit (fruit cocktail), and gelatine. A mainstay during Noche Buena and the holidays, this dessert has always been a Filipino Favorite since time immemorial.
Preparing this dessert is quite complicated when compared to others but I can assure that your patience and hard-work will not go to waste. In my case, I started to record the video late in the evening (around 10 pm after arriving from work) and I am so thankful because my wife and kids helped out (or else it will take me forever:)). Also, it gave me a reason to wake-up early the next morning.
I’m sure that you will love this recipe.
Try this Filipino Dessert: Crema de Fruta.
Braised Vegetables or wet-roasted vegetables is a vegan (vegetarian) dish composed basically of mushrooms, bamboo shoots,young corn, snow peas, and carrots. This is a perfect dish for health conscious individuals and people who are on a diet. A very low fat and low calorie recipe, having these types of dish regularly could help you stay healthy and lose weight fast if combined with enough excercise.
Try this delicious vegan recipe: Braised Vegetables.
Ginataang Alimasag are Crabs cooked in Coconut Milk. This recipe features the use of spinach and Thai chili as a replacement for Malunggay. Squash and string beans (kalabasa and sitaw) can also be placed instead of Spinach (or Malunggay).
Before cooking this dish, please make sure that enough rice is available. You don’t want to wait for the additional rice to cook while you are in the middle of enjoying your meal :).
Try this delicious Filipino recipe : Ginataang Alimasag.
Chicharon Bituka are deep fried pig or cow intestine prepared similar to that of Chicharones or Pork Cracklings (Pork Rinds). This dish is usually served as an appetizer or “pulutan” and is best when accompanied with beer. Another popular chicharon intestine is the Chicharon Bulaklak.
Instead of just having canned tuna mixed with crushed sky flakes (a very easy to prepare pulutan know as dog food) , why don’t you try to make some Chicharon Bituka ? This can be quite time consuming to prepare but this will surely make your barkada and the rest of the drinking buddies happy.
Try this Chicharon Bituka Recipe.
Coconut Macaroons are chewy cookies that contain a lot of sweet shreded coconut. This pastry is popular here in the United States and is usually dipped in white chocolate for additional flavor.
A sure hit for kids and those pretending to be one, this pastry will surely put some smile on your children’s faces.
Try this Coconut Macaroon recipe.
Macaroni Salad or Chicken Macaroni Salad is a simple salad made from macaroni (usually elbow macaroni). This salad is prepared with a generous amount of mayonnaise and boiled chicken meat (sometimes ham is used). A regular side dish during picnics and family outings, macaroni salad is best if combined with grilled foods and barbeque.
Try this Macaroni Salad recipe.
Orange Chicken is a dish of American-Chinese origin. There are claims that this recipe originally came from Hunan (a province in china) and was modified when brought here in North America for the purpose of adapting to the American palate.
In my opinion, Panda Express makes the best Orange Chicken. Though it is a fast food chain, most of their dishes are far better than the one’s served in restaurants.
This is not the original Panda Express recipe but rather a regular variation similar to the one’s served in Chinese buffets ( just added green onions to make it more appealing). I also minimized the ingredients to make this a budget friendly recipe fit for those who want to practice a frugal way of living. I will try to make our future recipes as budget friendly as possible so please stay tuned.
Happy 4th of July everyone!!!
Please tell me what you think. Your comments are greatly appreciated.
Try this delicious Orange Chicken recipe.
Ginisang Pechay is simply Sautéed Bok Choy. This healthy vegetable is classified as a cabbage.
Despite the popularity of this vegetable in Asia, people in Europe and parts of North America seem to have a hard time holding-on to it. In the Philippines, Chinese immigrants during the Spanish era introduced Bok Choy. After that , this vegetable spread faster than Swine Flu (H1N1) across the islands.
Try this healthy Vegetable Recipe : Ginisang Pechay (Sautéed Bok Choy).
Beef Nilaga or Nilagang Baka is literally translated as “Boiled Beef”. This is a simple soup dish best served during rainy and cold weather. Have you noticed the similarity of this dish to that of the Bulalo and Beef Pochero?
I highly recommend this dish to those who are learning how to cook because it takes almost no effort at all to prepare (just have patience in tenderizing the meat). This was actually the first dish that I’ve tried after fried egg ;).
Try this simple Filipino food: Beef Nilaga
Beef Tapa is dried cured beef similar to “Beef Jerky”. This is traditionally prepared by curing the meat with sea salt and letting it dry directly under the sun for the purpose of preserving the meat. Nowadays, commercialized Beef Tapa are often cured but most do not undergo drying.
Tapa is usually fried and is best served with vinegar. A popular combination called “Tapsilog” is commonly served in eateries called tapsihan and gotohan. Tapsilog is an abbreviation for Tapa, Sinangag (Fried Rice), and Itlog (Fried egg). Other meats used to make tapa are: Carabao’s meat (tapang kalabaw) , Deer’s meat (tapang Usa), Wild Boar’s meat (tapang Baboy Ramo),and horse’s meat (tapang kabayo). Speaking of tapang kabayo, Matty’s tapsilogan in Don Galo, Paranaque serves one of the best tapang kabayo in the Las Pinas-Paranaque-Muntinlupa area.
This tapa recipe does not entail the use of any preservatives. This is intended for home consumption and is a good “pambaon” for school and work.
Try this easy-to-prepare Filipino Food : Beef Tapa.
Nilasing na Hipon or Lasing na Hipon and even Drunken Shrimps to some is simply shrimp marinated in wine or liquor. Some of my friends use beer to marinade the shrimps…well, this is also fine but the use of wine or liquor is best.
This can be an appetizer (pulutan) and a main dish; it is best served with spicy vinegar (such as sukang paombong). A favorite Filipino Food and “Filipino Pulutan” of the “barkada” , this dish is almost always available in restaurants and bars. Do they also have this in beer houses in the Philippines?
For those of you who are concerned on the amount of cholesterol in shrimp, fear not. According to an article published in CNN that is based on a study published in the American Journal of clinical Nutrition, Shrimp is still good for you despite of its cholesterol content.
Try this Nilasing na Hipon recipe.
Finally, Summer has arrived. I decided to welcome Summer by preparing something that reminds me of what I usually do during this wonderful season; grill. There are several Summer foods that I want to feature and the first that crossed my mind is Inihaw na Pusit or “Grilled Squid” . This dish is very easy to prepare and does not take much of your time to complete.
When I was still in the Philippines, grilling has become a weekly habit. I make sure that I get the best meat or seafood in the market to grill. I also remember some fast food spots in the food court of malls selling this dish (though freshness is questionable sometimes). And yes…how could dampa in Paranaque and even the one in Sea Side in Macapagal slip my mind. They serve the best Inihaw na Pusit in their respective cities. Haven’t tried the Sugba na pusit (I’m not sure if it is called this way, maybe you can help me out :)) in Cebu and some parts of Mindanao yet but a lot of people who have tried gave it two thumbs up. Are you familiar with the “SuToKil” (Sugba, Towa, Kilaw) ? They say that its a must-try when going to Cebu and Mindanao.
How about you guys? What’s kind of meat or seafood do you love to grill?
Lets grill some Squid !
Chopsuey is a dish made-up of meat (chicken or pork) and seafood (shrimp or fish) cooked with different kinds of vegetables. This dish is considered to be of Chinese origin but there are claims that Chopsuey is of American – Chinese origin that was made famous by Chinese immigrants in America.
In the Philippines, Chopsuey is a common dish and considered to be one of the top vegetable dishes. The local variation includes chicken liver, shrimp, and seasoned vegetables.
I usually thicken the sauce of my Chopsuey to bring out its Chinese influence. Do you prefer it the same way? Let me know what you think by commenting on the box below this post.
Let’s discuss ideas and share our knowledge to our “kababayans”.
Embutido is a type of meatloaf prepared Filipino style. Though a well known dish for the holidays, Embutido can be enjoyed everyday without any hassle. Several meat processing companies now produce this meatloaf for commercial purposes; all you have to do is grab one from your favorite grocery store.
For those of you who want to enjoy the naturally prepared Embutido, this is the recipe to go for. My version (or should I say my Mom’s 🙂 ) focuses more on giving this dish the wonderful taste and aroma that can’t be found in commercialized Embutido. You can serve this as a cold cut or you can even fry it after steaming. Do whatever you want but don’t forget to put the Banana Catsup on the side.
Try this delicious Embutido recipe.
